Start-up Spotlight: Thailand's Meat Avatar, top 2022 start-up stories, Australia's Funday and more feature in our round-up

Keep it simple: Why minimal processing is key to winning over Asian plant-based consumers​

Minimal processing and healthier formulation is key to achieving plant-based success in Asia, where health drivers trump sustainability concerns, according to a Thai brand that is blazing a trail in the category.

Despite its accelerated growth in the Asia Pacific region over the past few years, the plant-based sector still faces the challenge of consumer misconceptions regarding its ingredients, processing methods and nutritional content. Many plant-based meat producers today have opted to focus on delivering a minimally processed, low-salt, high-nutritional value messaging when it comes to marketing their products.

“Until today, even in a market where plant-based is growing quickly like Thailand, it is a common misconception for many consumers in Asia that plant-based meat products automatically equal to ultraprocessed food products,”​ plant-based meat brand Meat Avatar Co-Founder Wiphu Loetsuraphibun told FoodNavigator-Asia​.

Start-ups focus: The Top 10 APAC food and beverage start-up and entrepreneurial stories in 2022​

Bringing you the top 10 most-read start-up stories from the food and beverage industry in 2022, featuring firms such as Ulu Hye, Shiok Meats, Mycoprotein and more.

Guilt-free gummies: Funday highlights gut-friendly formulation and single-serve packaging as major success factors​

Australian guilt-free confectionary firm Funday has highlighted its unique gut-friendly ingredient formulation as well as its one-bag-one-serve packaging as major success factors after entering 3,000 retail outlets in the region.Story:

When we last spoke to Funday early last year, the firm had just hit the 1,000 retail outlets mark and told us of plans to make it to 3,000 outlets by the end of 2022 – a target which it has now achieved.

“Funday natural sweets are now in Chemist Warehouse and Woolworths outlets worldwide, as well as some 450 Ampol gas stations, WH Smith stores as of last December, and more retailers to come as of this month (January 2023),”​ Funday Founder Daniel Kitay told FoodNavigator-Asia​.

Precision fermentation adds value to food supply chain, not competition – Perfect Day​

Perfect Day is teaming up with big players like Nestle and Unilever to broaden the applications of its whey protein, while leading new innovations through precision fermentation.

Striking while the iron is hot, the firm is using Singapore as a springboard for further product innovations and business expansion.

Peanut plant-based innovation: China’s Haofood says versatility, affordability and clean label are major draws​

China plant-based meat brand Haofood believes that the versatility and affordability of its peanut-based products, as well as its clean labels, are key to attracting domestic consumers to the category.

The company claims peanuts are not only on par with the more conventional soy-based plant-based products, but also superior when it comes to certain nutrients.

“Our research has shown that Chinese consumers top peeves when it comes to plant-based products that prevent them from consuming these regularly are these not being tasty, these being expensive, and the perception of these essentially being just another tofu, which is a major challenge if using soy,”​ Haofood CEO Astrid Prajogo told FoodNavigator-Asia​.